Nintendo Ships Smash Ultimate Patch 13.0.5 Targeting Mods

Nintendo released Patch 13.0.5 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this week, its first update since June 2025. The patch notes read: “Fixed behaviour that occurs when invalid data is sent or received in online battles.” Nintendo provided no further technical detail.

Competitive players quickly identified the update as targeting Delay Mod, an unofficial tool that reduces input delay in online matches. Players say the mod changes timing compared with local play and can alter reads and reactions during online matches.

Delay Mod gained attention after major tournaments moved online during the pandemic, when some top in-person competitors struggled against opponents who had adapted to the different online timing or used tools to change delay.

In 2025 the issue affected a top player known as Hurt, who announced a two-month self-imposed ban after footage suggested use of an input delay mod while streaming. ENTER FORCE.36 released a statement confirming an internal investigation found unofficial mods installed on one of his two Switch consoles. The team said Hurt reported he had used the equipment only in private online matches and that the clip in question came from an online match in which he was unintentionally using the device.

Modifying a Switch can carry legal risk in Japan. Players in Japan raised concerns about a competitive disadvantage when overseas competitors use unofficial tools. The controversy included the doxxing of the mod’s creator, known as Bluejay, who then announced they would stop developing the software.

Some community members point to a separate exploit reported within the scene that can cut an opponent’s connection mid-match and force an error. Reports trace that issue to players in Japan. The single-line patch description could apply to fixes for Delay Mod, the connection exploit, or both. Nintendo has not specified which behaviours the update addresses.

Relations between Nintendo and the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene have featured cancelled tournaments, legal warnings and the series’ removal from major fighting-game events in past years.

Tournament organizers and competitive players are monitoring whether the update reduces online abuses and how it will affect match quality and event policies. Nintendo has not issued further statements about enforcement or technical details.